From Yorkshire, With Love

we found seratonin in a (maybe) unexpected place

Good morning and Happy Valentine’s Day! The general state of overwhelming chaos continues (reaching both far and very close to home) and while there is absolutely no indication anything will ever go back to “normal”, life in the proverbial and literal woods has been surprisingly ok?

My Mom is visiting and we’re going to Savannah to revisit my college stomping grounds and get some real steps in before eating our way through the historic district, I am very much back on the (mostly hot) yoga train and love it, as a household we are doing a month of not buying anything just to prove to ourselves we are not behooved to packages arriving for little jolts of energy (it is working surprisingly well and easily so far), I had a fun 3 day jaunt to Raleigh for a women’s soccer campaign we’re working on and ate some amazing food (everyone put Poole’s and Bhavana on your list if you’re ever in the area), and even if cinemas feel kind of barren right now, we all have this Ayo Edebiri directed, starring Weird Al, new video for Clairo to keep us company:

But the thing that has really, really, really made a difference in my day-to-day coping mechanisms is “All Creatures Great and Small”. So much so, that I am dedicating this newsletter solely to it. Nevermind Valentine’s day gift guides - buy your loved one a monthly subscription to PBS Masterpiece and reap the rewards.

Now, for those into pastoral British TV/entertainment - this isn’t a breakthrough of any kind. The books by James Herriot that serve as a basis for the series are a cozy classic (the children’s stuff looks spectacular too if you’re in that era of your existence), and the 80s adaptation of the show which ran for 12 blissful seasons (averaging 8.4 on IMDB) is very beloved.

But I am deep in the 2020s edition and trust me, there’s nothing better in the world right now. A bold statement, I know.

The premise is simple: a young, idealistic veterinarian (James Herriot in the flesh) arrives from grimy Glasgow to bucolic Dales, Yorkshire and starts working for a curmudgeon-y (but obviously with a heart of gold) farm vet. The immediate cast of characters is rounded out by Mrs. Hall (housekeeper, sage and keeper of peace), a ne’er do well younger brother of the head vet who likes to party and is having a hard time passing his parasitology exams, a gorgeous Farmer’s daughter with spunk to match her flawless curls, and Mrs. Pumphry - the local fancy lady with a very fancy dog she keeps over-feeding fancy things. The stakes, as you can see, start out pretty low.

Most episodes involve:

Hands up cow’s/horse/sheep butts, someone falling comically/dramatically into mud or getting poop swooped onto their face, pulling out undigested fruit from a baby calf, and rescue dogs with everything from distemper (serious) to flatulence (comical) problems. And all episodes end with everyone at the dinner table, eating pork pies and drinking ale and/or sherry and reflecting on lessons learned.

Sprinkle in:

Mrs Pumphrey being incorrigable.

James (the lead) having to make a tough decision that puts animals first

Mrs. Hall forging ahead on a potential life of her own (the courting scenes w/ a fella named Gerald which mostly involve them walking dogs are flawlessly proper and awkward)

Helen (the love interest) being stubborn and fetching in overalls with the kind of jaunty color and pattern clashing BODEN is asking good money for these days.

Farmers being curmudgeony and skeptical and then grateful.

Farmers trying to pay in rhubarb jam instead of money.

Tristan (the ne’er do well younger brother) working his way through the limited making-out-pool of women under 23 in the area, and then wondering why not one of them takes him seriously.

A minor rivalry with another vet.

Ferret roulette (wait and see).

Siegried (the older vet) overcoming his deep grief (his wife Evelyn passed away from cancer before they could have children) by being equal parts fumbling AND a cad with the local ladies over 35.

And yes, since this is all happening in late 30s/early 40s - WWII.

Which is obviously a HUGE looming and then very very very real thing (and does put things into perspective, in terms of how people’s January’s went) but even in the darkest episodes (darkness being relative, since the whole appeal of the show is that it is the anti-thriller), the little life in Yorkshire just keeps rolling along:

The nature is breathtakingly gorgeous, everyone is so grateful to have each other (even if they get frustrated mid-episode), and make toast and butter and jam and endless variations of potato dishes look like the best thing in the whole world, and there are constantly tiny animals being born and fed and the everydayness of it all is so life affirming and makes you appreciate all you have that I genuinely feel this show has the ability to save people from seasonal affective disorder.

I watch an episode every morning, sandwiched between walking my dog and work, with a cup of team by my side and then, somehow I survive the remaining 10-12 waking hours more or less ok?

It has become such a ritual that Jason did ask: “So what’s the plan when you run out of episodes?” (I am almost done with Season 4 and there’s only 5 seasons, 7 episodes each).

And the answer is - obviously find something else on Masterpiece. Until spring, this is what’s up.

Any personal favorite cozies you’d recommend?